Shoot Me
by Rip Apart My Dreams
Summary: Murder. Kidnap. Betrayal. Mikan's world is beginning to fall apart. How long can she keep running from the truth?
1. Chapter 1

Bammers! New story coming your way! Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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BANG! Shit…why do people have to bring guns to street fights? It makes it so unfair when all you have is a small pocket knife and your two fists. I quickly evaluated the situation; two men in their mid-twenty's with guns against me, a sixteen year old girl who's barely five foot. Yeah, I think it's no question that I went running down the street. I could hear them yelling behind me and the bullets whirling past me. The secret to not getting hit was simple, keep running in zigzags and random patterns and just _don't run straight_. It's a simple fact that took me a bullet to the arm to learn.

ROAR! I heard an engine behind me. Damn! Where the Hell did this car come from. I quickly scaled a gate into someone's estate. At least they can't get me here. A quick survey of the grounds showed guards scattered around and easily avoided. Since the guards are here, the house most likely didn't have a security system. Perfect, this would be my hideout for the night. I snuck in the window into the family's living room. I set the alarm on my cell phone (the one pay for with money I win from street fights) and fell asleep.

I awoke with someone straddled over me. What the fuck?

"What the _Hell _are you doing in my house?" The voice, obviously male, growled at me. Ha, if he was trying to scare me, he had another thing coming. I grew up in the streets of the city and I've learned to never give any personal information away, or just lie. Lying always worked.

"My name is Toph Hikiru. I came here because I had no where to go." I made my voice quiver to sound like a scared little girl.

"You're lying. Now give me a real name and a real reason, or I'm calling the guards." How did he know this? Did other people sneak into his house? Well, it was an easy target… I had to make a quick decision of what to do next; tell or run. I chose to run, so I flipped him out of me and sprinted away. Even though I'm small, I still run faster then most people, and stronger than most grown men.

Unfortunately for me, he was quicker than most people too, so he caught my wrist before I could even make it out of the house.

"You have about five seconds to tell me the truth or _I_ _will call the guards. _And don't even_ think _of lying, because I can tell." Well, he could see through my lie the first time, what makes it so he couldn't do it again. I took a breath and just went for it.

"My name is Mikan Sakura. I came here because I was running from some goons who I got into a fight with. I ran to the first place I could see. They had _guns _and a _car! _There was no way I could outrun them and live. So I had no choice but to come here. Ok?" Oh God, he's going to get the guards, I just know it! I should have just let him call them in the first place and try to make a break for it. At least then he wouldn't have a way to find me…

"…Fine. Just be gone by sunrise. My parents get up at seven."

"I…uh…what?" Wait, he's letting me stay? No strings attached? That's impossible…

"Stupid. You can stay. Be gone by seven. Got that?"

"Umm…thank you." Well, maybe it was possible.

"Feh. Whatever." He started walking away.

"Wait! What's your name?"

He turned around and smirked at me. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"What! Are you serious? I tell you my name and you won't te-" He clasped his hand over my mouth.

"Shut up! You're gonna wake my parents! Baka!" He whisper-yelled at me. I guess I deserved that. I clearly let my anger get the better of my judgment…But I could use this to my advantage…He clearly didn't want his parents up.

"I'll be quiet if you tell me your name."

"Hn. Whatever. Natsume Hyuuga. Now zip it." He started walking towards the steps again.

"So, ever sneak out at night?" Where did that come from? That just totally popped out of nowhere!

"…I've tried. Guards always catch me." I let out a giggle. He clearly had no experience. But then again, he looks like a spoiled rich kid, living in a mansion with guards and by the looks of it, everything he ever wanted.

"Well come with me. Those assholes that were chasing me are probably gone by now…" He started heading towards the door, clearly going to go with me and sneak out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're going out in you're pajamas? Yeah right. Go change." I instructed him, and he followed. Ha, it felt good to be in control.

I followed him up to his room, which was huge by the way. It had a living room area, a king size bed, plasma screen T.V., and a Hell lot of other stuff he clearly doesn't need. He went to the bathroom to change and when he can out he was in dark wash jeans and a black tee-shirt.

"You gotta knife?"

"What? Why the Hell do I need a knife?" Oh, so now he thinks I'm crazy. Great…

"A pocket knife. You need one in case you get in a fight. I can get you one easily if you don't have you though."

"Do I look like I would have a pocket knife? No. Let's go." We headed down the steps and while I headed for the window, he went for the door. "What do you think you're doing? Rule number one, never use the obvious. You need to find another way and in this case the window. Come on, follow me."

We jumped out the window and started running for the gate. "Ok, rule number two, always stay in the shadows, unless, of course, if there are no shadows."

We stayed in the shadows while we, well mainly me, watched the guards to see when we could run across the grounds. With a quick "follow me" motion of my hand we started running toward the gates. Oh my God, can he even _climb _the gate? I did not think this through…

I took a big leap onto the gate and landed silently, thanks to years of experience. His landing though, not so much. It made a loud bang that would bring the guards in a second.

I began scurrying up the gate as fast as I could. "God, come on! No wonder the guards always catch you…"

We made it over the gate, but I heard the guards, knowing they heard the bang and were investigating. I thanked God that next to the iron gate there was a brick wall all the way around. It cast a shadow that was perfect to hide in. We started sneaking along the wall until we were all clear of being seen by the guards.

"Ok, we're out. Now we just need to get you a knife. Not too difficult." I was half talking to Natsume, half talking to myself.

After walking for a few minutes I saw my target. I've fought him before and won, and I also knew where he kept his knife; Left front pocket.

"Stay here and stay hidden. I'll be right back." I muttered as I slinked away. I snuck up and slowly stuck my hand in his pocket. I got a hold of his knife and started to pull my hand out.

"Hey! What are you-" I quick retracted my hand and kicked him in the back so he fell down.

I sprinted back to Natsume and grabbed his hand and started pulling him along with me. "Let's go!"

BANG! Ok, I did not plan of him having a gun…He didn't last time I fought him! "Run in random patterns! It's the best way to not get hit!" I yelled at him as I let go of his hand. We started running in zigzags, swirls, and twists.

"Ngh!" I heard Natsume grunt and I turned to see what it was. He was shot in the leg and he was crashing down, fast.

"Damn it!" I shouted as I started running towards him. I tried to drag him to the shadows, but there was no way I could hide both of us before "Gun Guy" caught up to us. I sat there in panic as the shots kept coming, closer and closer.

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Well that was fun! Ok review, tell me if you like it, and all that shiz. I have more written already, but you know, if you don't like it *cough if you don't review cough* I would feel no need to continue this story for not having any readers! So please review! I guess...say 3 reviews for a new update? Yeah, that sounds good. 3 REVIEWS PEOPLE! Luv ya! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Ok. chapter 2. Sorry it's short!

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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I took a quick glance at Natsume, who was shifting in and out of consciousness. "Don't worry…" I said, wondering if he could hear me.

I quickly hid in the alley a few feet away. Perfect. The shots died down, guessing he used up all the ammo. He went up to Natsume and stepped on his chest.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Did the little baby get hurt?" He said in a childish voice, clearly taunting Natsume. He must be awake now…

"You…Bastard!" Natsume managed to grunt, considering the air was being pushed out of his chest already.

"Oh, shut up. Where's that meddlesome girl?"

"…I don't know." Natsume lied. He knew I was over here, he so knew. I could tell of the way he discreetly looked over at me.

'Oh? Protecting her, eh? Well, you're girlfriends out of luck. You're not going to be around unless _you tell me where she is."_ He said the last few words with emphasis.

"I already told you. I don't know. And she's not my girlfriend." He had strained breathing now. I took a glance at his leg, which was loosing a lot of blood now. He needed to get some care, fast.

The man started loading the gun, with exaggerated slowness to allow Natsume time to give me up. He just starred back at the man with a calm expression.

It's now or never, I needed to pounce. I was waiting for him to turn around so I could get the best hit at him, but there was clearly no time to wait for that opportunity.

I leaped out of the darkness silently to jab him in the side. He stumbled, but didn't fall over. He turned to keep at me and I thrusted my palm up to his nose, causing a massive nosebleed and the bone breaking. He cradled his nose with his hands, so I used it to my advantage to take his gun. I quickly aimed the gun at him.

"Leave. Now." I said in a menacing voice. He looked up at me in horror, probably thinking I would shoot him. Well…I should give him what he wants…

BANG! The bullet went right past his head, causing him to let out a slight shriek. "I said 'Leave.' Now get!" He got up and started sprinting away.

"Hey, you ok?" I said in a soft voice. I bent down to check his wound. Damn, it's even worse now. "Umm…Can you get up? Oh my God, how are we going to get back to your house? You can't scale the gate…maybe I could pick the lock…"

"Oi. Shut it. Just help me up, I'll be fine." He snapped me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. I bent down to pull him up. He still had use of one leg…maybe that was enough.

We started walking, well, me walking, him hobbling with half him weight on me. When we got back to the mansion, I started spazzing again. How am I going to get him inside?

"You still got that gun?" Natsume asked.

"What? Yeah, but what do I do with it? Shoot the guards?"

"Hn. No. Shoot the lock. They aren't that strong."

"But the guards will come! Can you make it to the house it time?"

"Baka. Do you have any other ideas?" He definitely had a point…

"Fine. On my count. Get ready. One…two…" BANG! I shot the lock and it immediately broke open. I heard distant shouts of the guards. "THREE!" We went as fast as we could across the lawn. I could hear Natsume panting, but at least he was going fast enough. The shadows were longer now since the sun would come up in a few hours, so there was less distance to run.

When we made it in the house, he collapsed on the sofa, sweating and wheezing. "Where's the first aid kit?"

"Kitchen…under the…si-sink…" I ran silently through the house to find the kitchen, which he so kindly left out where it was in the house. After three hallways, I found a mega kitchen. Figures… Anyway, I grabbed the kit and retraced my footsteps back to where Natsume was. When I got back, he was either asleep or unconscious. I first cleaned out the wound. Luckily, the bullet was not stuck in his leg. He flinched at the cold, fizzing peroxide.

Thank you…" He muttered under his breath as I was wrapping his leg up.

"No problem. So, what are you going to tell your 'rents? You can't really hide yourself hobbling around the house."

"I'll just say I fell down the stairs if they ask. They usually aren't home much, so I'm not that worried…" He sounded a little better, but he still seemed out of it.

"Well…ok then." I said, still not completely convinced. I kept wrapping his leg in silence.

"AHHHH!!!!" I heard a shriek from the bottom of the staircase. I looked over and saw a ten year old girl clutching a teddy bear. Did I mention she looked terrified?

"Aio! Quiet!" Natsume hissed, but it was too late. I could hear the guards scurrying over.

"Aio? Honey? Are you ok?" A distance voice from upstairs asked. I figured it was their mom.

Ok, it's official. This day bites.

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OMG! This is even shorter than I thought! *SOB!*  
I'm not even going to ask for any reviews! Gahh, this is pathetic!  
BUT I am working on chapter 3 as we speak and it already has over like...2000 words SO FAR! So I'm going to try to finish that up today because I'm going to be busy tomorrow! Sleepover tonight, and mall tomorrow.  
And FYI I'm all better from being sick so I have school again! Curses! So it's going to take longer for updates.

Ok, again, sorry for the oober short chapter! Luv ya! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Yes! That didn't take long to finish at all! Ok Here is *big voice* CHAPTER 3!

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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"Quick! Take the first aid stuff and hide in the closet." Natsume said to me. I silently complied. "Aio, don't tell them anything, ok? Just make something up. Ok?"

"Huh? Umm…alright." The ten year old, apparently named Aio, said in a confused tone.

I shut the closet door silently and hid in the back. I didn't want to take the chance of them looking in the closet and me being in view.

"Aio? Aio? Sweetie, what is it?" The mom, obviously having rushed downstairs to her distraught daughter, asked.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I came downstairs for a drink and I saw Natsume lying on the couch. I thought it was some burglar." The girl said in a sweet tone. I must say, she's a pretty good liar. She's ten, I think, and can already fool her parents. Not bad…

The door burst open and the guards filed in. "Go, go, go!" I heard them say. I heard the loud clunking of their shoes on the hardwood floor.

"Stop!" A powerful male voice bellowed. Must be the dad… "It was just a mistake. Aio here saw Natsume lying on the couch. No harm done. You can go back on duty."

"Yes sir. Oh, and sir? Someone shot the lock, probably trying to break in. We also heard someone trying to climb the gate earlier in the night."

"Ah, yes, I see. Well, keep a lookout. Now go." The man said again.

"Natsume, dear, what were you doing down here so late?" The mom asked, in a kind, caring voice that I could only dream of hearing someone talking to me like. I've never had a mom. Well, I did, but I would never consider her a mom. She didn't love me, she didn't even want me. She left me all alone, leaving me to die…

_"Get out!" Yuka, my mom, yelled at me._

_"Wh-what?" I was huddled in a corner. Being only six years old, I didn't know what to do. She grabbed my collar and yanked me up._

_"Just follow me, you ungrateful child." She dragged me to the car and shoved me in. I didn't even get onto the seat, I was so scared. We drove around for about five minutes. I didn't know where we were. I knew it was the city, but I don't know the streets. I never left the house before…I've only seen outside from the window that I snuck peeks out of. _

_We came to a sudden stop and my head hit the back of her seat. She got out of the car and yanked my car door open. She then grabbed me again and threw me to the ground. There was some alleyway with trashcans and graffitied walls. She picked me up and threw me against a wall, causing my head to start bleeding._

_"Agh!" I yelled, clutching my head in pain. She kicked me in the stomach._

_"Shut up, you little bitch. Now don't you ever come back. I don't want to see your ugly face. If I ever see you again I will kill you. Do you hear me!?!" She yelled, her voice getting louder and louder with each shout._

_"Mommy! Mommy! Why are you doing this to me!?!" I cried._

_"Listen to me, I never wanted to be your 'Mommy.' I never wanted to have you. You were a mistake that ruined my life. I lost everything because of you._ _I hate you. I hope you rot out here." With those final words, she left me. She drove away, leaving me crying in the dark, with nowhere to go, and no one to love me…_

"I came down for a snack and didn't feel like going back upstairs." He said in a bored tone. He's good too. Wow, it's like a family of little liars.

"Ah, well, that's fine. We're going back to sleep kids. We'll be home for dinner." The mom yawned and followed her husband upstairs.

After they went back to bed and it was all clear I came out of the closet to find Aio and Natsume, both on the sofa, looking at me.

"What?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing. Umm…what are you doing here? Who are you?" Aio asked, more curious than anything else.

"Guh…"I grunted. "Mikan Sakura. Helped your bro get out of here, he got shot in the leg, and I brought him back here to patch up his leg." I said, not wanting to go through a background check yet again.

She looked over at Natsume who gave a small nod. "I'm Aio Hyuuga. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand for me to shake, but I just stared at it. She slowly took her hand back. "Uhh…well then, I'm going back to be. Goodnight Natsume." She kissed his forehead.

"Hn." Wow, he's nice…

"Umm…Mikan. Can I ask you something?" Aio questioned.

"Depends on the question. Shoot."

"Are you going to come back? Like tomorrow night?" That caught Natsume's attention.

"I don't know. Maybe. Depends." I honestly didn't know. I mean, I don't think I should come to the same place twice, but then again, I've never been caught, so that changes the circumstances.

"I think you should. Natsume enjoyed you company. You can see it in his face." Aio smiled. I looked over at Natsume, who had the same, bored expression he always has.

"Uhhuh…right." Thick sarcasm, very thick sarcasm. "Well I think I should leave. See you later. Or maybe not. I don't know. Bye." I jumped over Natsume and started to leave when Natsume grabbed my ankle.

"Come back tomorrow. You owe me that much for letting me get shot."

"Excuse me! You wanted to come with me. Hmph."

"Whatever. Just come back."

"Whatever." I jumped out the window. Security was still the same, no more guards, which is good for me. I scaled the gate and headed back to the hideout.

Well, it's not really a hideout. It's a place for us street kids to stay, since we don't have anywhere to go. The hideout is an abandoned home that's falling apart. There's no furniture except for what we bring, which is just some blankets and spare clothes we steal from homes and shit. It's been my home ever since I was six. We always take kids in.

_I was left crying in the dark. Who would I live with? How would I survive? I'm going to die out here…_

_"Hey shorty, why you crying?" A figure emerged from the darkness. He only looked about nine._

_"Mommy left me…I have no home!" I burst into even more tears. He came over and hugged me._

_"Nah shorty, you can stay with me! I don't got a home either. Me and some kiddies all live together!"_

_"Re-Really?" This was too good to be true!_

_"Yeah! Come on, let's go. It's not good for a kiddie like you to be out here at this time. Lots of mean big people go around here…"_

_We started walking through the streets with me clinging onto his arm the entire way. We ended up in front of an abandoned old apartment._

_"Here it is!" The boy said, seeming proud of this…this thing._

_"Where? I don't see it!" I said looking around._

_He just started laughing. "Relax, shorty! This is the place. Follow me." We made our way up some wobbly stairs into the building. "Hey guys! I'm back! And I brought a kiddie too!"_

_Suddenly there were stampedes of footsteps on the stairway. Actually, it was only three others. There was a boy, probably the leader, who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old. There was also a girl with red hair who looked tough, and around the same age as the boy who brought me here. Finally, there was I girl about my age walking calmly down the stairs._

_"Come on upstairs. We have some lights and you can see everyone better. And it's much better than standing in this nasty stairway." The oldest boy said._

_Upstairs there was a dusty couch and a bunch of cushions and pillows thrown on the floor with blankets piled around. They had some lanterns around the room so I could see everyone clearly._

_"Ok, shorty. The big one is Tonouchi, but we just call him Tono for short. He's the one who found us all and brought us to live here." He had long, black hair and dark eyes._

_"Sup?" He asked. He seemed laidback._

_"Umm…Hi?" I wasn't really certain around these people._

_"The redhead is Misaki. She has a mean punch, but she won't hurt you. Just me and Tono." This got 'bring-me-here-boy' a hit to the head._

_"Shut up, loser." I giggled a little. She's funny. I think I want to be like her when I get older._

_"Guh…The last one is Hotaru. She's about your age. Six right?"_

_"Yeah, I am." I glanced over at Hotaru. She had purple eyes and short, choppy black hair. She had a blank expression on, just staring at me. "Hi." She then just looked away._

_"Oh, don't worry about her. She doesn't talk much, not very open. Anyway, I'm Tsubasa. Nice to meet ya." He stuck out for me to shake, which I hesitantly took. "Welcome to your new home."_

I walked in the door. "Hey bitches! I'm home!" Tsubasa came down the stairs to greet me.

"Isn't bitches like, a girl term?" He asked.

"Yeah. So it totally works for you. Duh."

"Fucking asshole…" He muttered under his breath.

"Heard that, bitch!" I followed him up the stairs.

"Where the Hell were you?" Thank you, Hotaru…

_Brr…I was freezing. I had one blanket on, and it was just a throw. I was sitting up, holding my knees to my chest, shivering._

_"Hey. You cold?" A voice said in the dark. It was easy to tell it was that Hotaru girl because she had a voice like mine. She started walking towards me, two blankets in tow. "It's hard, the first night here."_

_"How long have you lived here?" I asked in a soft voice. I didn't want to wake the others._

_"About two years…Here, take some blankets." She handed them to me and walked back to her spot, where she lied down with no blankets._

_"Huh? You gave me all your blankets?"_

_"Yeah, guess I did."_

_"Come over here. We can share."_

_"Thanks…you know you never told us your name."_

_"Oh, it's Mikan."_

_"Well, goodnight, Mikan."_

_"Goodnight, Hotaru."_

"Out." Simple response, but it got groans from everyone.

"We figured that! Where exactly?" Misaki was always impatient…

"Hyuuga Mansion. Had to hide. Some bastards with gun were all on me and it was the only place I could get to. But it's like, so easy to get in. So lame. It wasn't even fun to sneak in."

"That would be lame." Tono suddenly popped out of nowhere with some snacks.

"Yes! Food! I'm starved." I grabbed a bag of chips and tore it open.

"Lame-ass food mart down the street?" Hotaru asked.

"Where else? Security suck there."

"So, anyway I was thinking of doin' a raid of some houses. We could use some more supplies." Tsubasa said while stuffing his face full of everything we had to eat. "I got some houses laid out. We can hit tomorrow."

"Umm…I can't do tomorrow." I said. I got to tell them sometime, now or never.

"Why?" That was Hotaru asking. Usually I was the one who snuck in first and let everyone else in because I'm so tiny and light, I can easily get through second story windows.

"Well…after I broke into the Hyuuga Mansion, I kinda got caught…"

"What!?! By who?" Misaki that time.

"Not the guards. Natsume Hyuuga. Came down for a midnight snack and caught me snoozing on the couch. Heehee…Anyway, he didn't call the guards or anything, he just wanted my name and what the Hell I was doing there. That's all." …Silence. Then Misaki exploaded.

"That's all!?! You gave away your identity! You fucking retard!"

"Relax! He's not going to tell! Anyway, tomorrow I'm going back. He wants out. I took him out tonight and he wants out again I think…but that's what I'm doing."

"Well, because of you this raid is a bust…so you need to do something for us." Tsubasa said. Oh no, I didn't like that voice…

"Umm…what exactly?"

"Bring him to us. I wanna meet him. And I'm pretty sure the rest of us wanna meet him too." Damn, I knew that that voice would bring nothing but trouble.

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Yay! Finished my loooong(well not really) chapter! Yes! And for that i want 500 REVIEWS! Haha, JUST KIDDING! I think 5 reviews would be fine.

So(you know I have to do this)...REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Luv ya! :)


	4. Author's Note

O geez! I feel so stupid! I messed up Aoi's name with Aio! XD I'M SORRY!!!!

I will fix that up in the later chapters. THANK YOU **TRAGIC PANDA **FOR POINTING THAT OUT TO ME! YOU ARE TOTALLY AWSOME!

And while I'm at it, I want to also thank:**  
Saikono-san****  
Luckystar222  
IceGirl7  
**Thank you for reviewing my story! Totally appriciate it. Luv it! Thank you so much!

Yeah, that's all. Luv ya! :)


	5. Chapter 4

Hey people! Here's the long-awaited(and I mean loooooong-awaited) Chapter 4!  
I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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The following night when I left to fetch Natsume, they went out to grab some more snacks. What, were they planning on keeping him hostage? Actually, they might do that…

At the mansion the lock was replaced with something new and much more sturdy than the old one. A quick scale of the fence and run of the lawn and I was inside. I saw him on the sofa, watching T.V., waiting for me.

"Sup loser?" I asked.

"Hn." Does he always talk in short, not even real word phrases? Ugh, whatever.

"Hey, get your lazy ass up. We're going to my place."

"Ew. Why?" What, does he think I live in a ratty box or something? Well, I could, but only hobos do that, not street fighters.

"'Cause the gang wants to meet you, duh. Now come on, get moving slowpoke." He slowly got up from the couch and switched off the T.V. He was dressed in all black attire again, clearly ready to do some sneaking.

We ran across the grounds, feeling like a routine already, climbed the gate, and started walking down the street. He had a little trouble, consider he was shot in the leg, but we made it away fine.

"What's with your clothes?" Well, that was random.

"What do you mean?"

"They're all baggy and shit. What, do you get them from salvation army or something?"

"Nah, we get clothes from houses we raid. Apparently, all girls my size are still into Barbie dolls and pink stuff, and I need black things, so I have to get a larger size. But it's not that bad 'cause I'm used to it. Ever since I was a little girl, so no biggie."

"You still are a little girl."

"No dip, Sherlock. Even Watson could figure that one out." I stuck my tongue out at him and he just shrugged.

When we got to the hideout, I knew what was coming.

We walked into the hallway and I yelled, "Hey bitches! Don't you try to scare the boy, 'cause I'll kick your asses if you do!" Yeah, they probably won't listen to my threats.

We walked up the creaking steps for me to find that no one was in sight. Great…

"Hello, bastard." Tsubasa…He appeared out of the shadows, right behind Natsume. What is he thinking!?!

"Shut up, shadow." Ha ha, nice Hyuuga. And that did shut Tsubasa up! He probably expected Natsume to be scared or something. I gotta say, this kid isn't half bad.

Hotaru stepped out of her hiding spot and walked up to Natsume, face blank and somewhat eerie. "You…are an ass."

I burst out laughing. Natsume looked taken aback, but he composed his posture. I gave Hotaru a high five, which she returned, but she kept staring at Natsume. "Sooo…" This was awkward. Everyone's staring at him…

"Are you freaks just going to look at me all night, 'cause I would rather be shot in the leg again if you are."

"Little punk-ass…" Tono started mumbling.

"Well, if you are just _begging_ for some action, why don't you join us on a raid, hmm?" Misaki, you clearly don't know this boy. He takes stupid challenges…

"Fine. Let's go." Ugh, I knew it!

"Uhh…I was kidding. I didn't think you would actually come."

He turned slowly to look at her, staring her down with his crimson eyes. "I don't care. _Let's go."_ Assertive much?

Everyone reluctantly grabbed their empty bags and crept out of the house.

"Ok, we're going to hit Westway Avenue. All the houses but the big mansion, they're hosting a neighborhood party there." Tsubasa gave us the lowdown. Lay low, get in, get the stuff, get out. Easy enough. "Mikan, take Hyuuga with you."

"What!?! No way. I'm the best raider here. If you want good stuff, I need to go _alone."_

Smack! Hotaru hit me on the back of my head. "Don't be so full of yourself. It's your fault he's here anyway. Just take him, baka." I looked around the room to see everyone silently agreeing, so obviously there was no choice but to take him with me.

"Fine." I said as bitterly as I could. "But when I come back with crappy stuff, don't come crying to me."

"You better come back with good stuff or we won't let you back in the hideout." Hotaru you are heartless!

"I hate you…"

"Stop blubbering around and lets get this show on the road." Tono led everyone out of the house and to Westway Avenue. "Ok, Hotaru, hit 7430, Misaki, 7435, Tsubasa, 7433, and Mikan, you and Hyuuga hit 7439. I'll get 7437. Meet back here in an hour. If you run into trouble, go back to the hideout. Everyone got it?"

"You got it, chief." Tsubasa did a fake salute and we all ran quietly into the dark.

I started searching quietly for a key to get into the house. Most people in the rich part of town did, and usually in a similar hiding spot. It wasn't in any of the usual spots(under the mat, in the flower pot, on top of the doorframce, etc.), so I was forced to get in through the window. "Hey, Natsume, gimme a boost. I need to get to that window."

He put his hands together in the lifting position and hoisted me up. I grabbed onto the ledge and used my amazing break-in skills to open up the window. "Hold on, I'll be right down to open the door." I ran through the house taking a quick survey of where everything was. The only thing I cared about was where the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen were (they are the main targets) and weather or not the family has any pets, mainly dogs. We never hit a house that has a dog though, only ones with, at most, cats or birds.

I opened the door for him and I ran to the kitchen, with him right on my trail. We only had an hour, so this had to be quick. I checked the time; ten minutes into the raid. I opened the pantry to see a goldmine of cereal and other food that made my mouth water. "Go to the bathroom, third door on the left. Grab some soaps and small towels. Shampoo if it's small enough they won't notice it's gone." I directed him and he followed my command.

I found oodles of Tupperware in the cabinets, so I threw cereal and other bits of snack food into four containers. I also grabbed a couple juice boxes, probably for a little kids lunch.

I found Natsume trying to find shampoo when I was done. Good, he was done his part, and he didn't overstuff his bag! We went upstairs where I sent him to the parents room to grab some clothes for us while I went looking for something I could take. I passed a little boys room and came to a preteen's room, obviously a girl by the purple bedspread. I decided to look for some underwear and bras real quick, since we still had about twenty-five minutes left. I found her drawer filled with High School Musical and Hannah Montana bras and panties. I neatly sorted through to see if there was anything suitable; Anyway, I secret I've learned on raids is that usually the stuff on the bottom isn't used as much, so it's less likely to be noticed as missing.

The last few things in the drawer were geometric designs like stripes, plaid, and polka-dots. I held up the underwear and bra in front of me, checking the tags juts to make sure they would fit me.

"Nice choice, _Polka."_ Natsume was standing in the doorway with his bag stuffed full. I slowly turned to glare at him.

"Shut. Up." I quickly stuffed two bra and underwear sets into my bag (a blue and pink polka-dotted set and a striped lime green and forest green set). I walked as collectedly as I could to the parent's room. "Where's the underwear drawer?"

"I don't think they're gonna fit you, _flat-chested."_ He had a smug look on his face.

"'I don't think they're gonna fit you.'" I mocked in a childish voice. "Duh! I'm seeing if they'll fit Misaki and Hotaru, dumbass! Now show me the damn underwear drawer!" I fought to keep my voice in a whisper-yell.

He pointed to a drawer on the top left and I quickly sorted through them; Nothing would fit either of them. "Ok, let's go. You head out the door, and I'll lock it behind you. I need to go out the window, so you better stick around to catch me." We hurried through the house. When we got to the door, I gave him my stuff to hold so it wouldn't be another thing to catch when I jumped from the window.

I pulled the window shut and carefully put the screen back into place. I dangled from the ledge for a minute and then dropped into Natsume's awaiting arms.

When we got to the meeting spot, the rest of the gang was already done. We talked about what we got until we got within seeing distance of the hideout. Then we saw it; There were police cars, sitting right in front of the hideout…

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Oh my God! I'm so so soooo sorry for this late update! I had make-up work until the last week of school. Then I had massive writers block! Along with that, I didn't really try to overcome that because I had just gotten the Sims 3! BUT now I'm done with everything! BUT(yet again) I will have another late update because I'm going to the beach this week! And then I have two weeks of camp, but I might be able to squeeze in an update if I'm not to tired(**cough if you review cough**) But after that I have like...nothing to do! So yay!

ANYWAYY......REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW RVIEW! 5 reviews make me veryyyy happy. And not tired **hint hint** ;)

LUV YA! :)


	6. Chapter 5

Hey hey! I know I didn't get all the reviews, but at least I got some and that still makes me happy! Please do me a favor and read the note at the bottom!

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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Natsume, being oblivious, continued to walk towards the police cars. I yanked his arm back and dragged him along as we all started sprinting for an alleyway. When we decided we were a safe distance away, we relaxed(well, as much as street kids who constantly risk their life in fights can relax.)

"Ok guys, I'm going to go back and see what's up. If I'm not back in…say, fifteen minutes, then just head over to the next town without me. Don't text me to see in I'm ok, I'll text you if I need to know, like, where you guys are. Try to find a place where we can stay if you have to go without me. Got it?" Tono asked, taking on his role as the leader. We all nodded as he escaped into the shadows on the numerous buildings around.

We all sat in silence while Tono was gone; we were pretty freaked, even though none of us would admit it. We sat in a circle with are backs in the middle so no one could sneak up on us. Trust me, there are a lot of people in alleyways at night, and they not all that friendly.

"I see someone…" Hotaru whispered so quietly I had to strain to hear it. We tensed and reached for our weapons on instinct.

"Relax, it's just me." Tono said, coming to sit beside us. We did as he said. "Some nosey assholes said there was suspicious activity in the hideout. They set up cameras and caught us, so we need to leave town. We'll just take the stuff we raided and scram."

We got up and started walking through the shadows, watching for anything suspicious, almost automatically. We were all in a daze. Suddenly, something hit me. "Hyuuga, go home."

"No." He kept walking along with the group. Everyone stopped and looked at me expectantly. Tsubasa mouthed _get rid of him_ to me.

"Look, go home. You're only going to cause us more trouble and we can't afford any more. So just leave!" I said, but my voice kept getting louder and louder. Hotaru hit me and gave me a stern look(with her usual blank expression) that said keep it down.

"No. I'm staying. You don't know who I am and what I have to deal with at home. I'm staying."

"Ha! You? A tough life? Humor me! Hmm…being rich and getting everything you want sounds like such a _hard life._ I'd much rather be dumped by my own_ mother_ to _die!_ You don't know us either! Just get out of our lives because you are _nothing_ like us!" I glared at him with as much hatred I could muster. We stood there for a few seconds or a few minutes, I have no idea, just glaring at us. I could feel the air thickening with awkwardness as the others stood around me and Natsume.

"If you make me go back, I will tell the guards and police everything about you guys. As far as I can see, you don't have a choice. Let me stay and help, or go to jail. Your choice." I considered letting him go. Maybe we could fake him out, go to a different town instead so the police have a false lead. Natsume might even get in trouble for "lying" and saying we went to some town we aren't even at. That would be a plus. But on the other hand, we might not escape in time. We might not even have time to make it to the next town, considering the police were right down the street.

I realized everyone was silently waiting my decision on whether Natsume could stay or not.

"…fine. But if you cause any problems, you're out. Got it?"

"Whatever. But trust me, I won't screw up."

As we scuttled through the streets in search of a car, I couldn't help but notice everyone kept glancing at me and/or Natsume(actually, they were making it very obvious. Bakas…)

We came across a dark green van that Hotaru quickly hot wired the car and we all climbed in. The drive was completely silent and completely awkward. I stared out the window, but I could feel eyes boring into the back on my head. I tried to block out my sixth sense, but no such luck. We drove deep into the woods and walked to town from there. All in all, it was about a three mile walk. Again, extreme silence and extreme awkwardness. The walk felt like it dragged on for hours on end. When we reached the edge of town we stopped and took a quick survey of the area.

"Hey,Natsume, you got a cell?" Misaki asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Natsume answered.

"Number." Hotaru said quietly.

"Why?" Natsume said sternly. He clearly didn't want to give it away without a reason.

"We're splitting up to find a place to stay. So give us your number so we can stay in contact. Don't call; Text us." Misaki answered. Natsume simply nodded. He whipped out his cell, which was an elaborate touch screen and keyboard combo. In other words, it was expensive. He gave us his number and we all gave him ours.

"Mikan, since you're the fastest runner, you go to the far east side of town. Natsume, you handle the rest of the east side, since you aren't in the best position to go very far. Oh, by the way, this is the east side, in case you didn't know." Tono was only saying that because of Natsume, who most likely did not know what direction was which. "Hotaru, you get the back center and Misaki get the front center. I'll get the back west and Tsubasa the front. Go." Everyone split up and headed to their designated search area. I couldn't find any spots where we could stake out because this section of town was full of brightly lit homes, all of them populated. I texted _no good_ to everyone and started heading back to the meet up spot we decided on(where we were before we split up.)

On the way back Natsume texted me. _Met up with another group. They say we can stay w/ them. Meet me at 2947 Troward Ct. _Oh my God, he's such an idiot! I quickly texted him back._ Baka! Get out now. It's a trap. Coming to get you._ I started running to where he was.

When I got there, Natsume was waiting right outside the house. I signaled him over with a quick motion of my hand, but he stayed put at where he was. I sighed and sulked over to him. He had a weird look in his eye, but I ignored it. "Come on, Hyuuga, let's move." I said, but he still stayed put.

Silently, he mouthed run, but not before a bullet whizzed past me. I twirled and slammed myself against the wall. A figured came out of the shadows of the run down buildings.

"This is it? I _thought_ you said there were more coming." The girl talking clucked her tounge. Fro what I could see, she had blonde hair and blue eyes like ice. He hair had slight curls and her body had extreme curves. If it weren't for her clothes, I wouldn't have guessed she lived on the street. "You know, your acting skills are yet to be desired. Well, if your other friends come, I'll have no choice but to shoot them, since you couldn't manage the simple task of getting them all I one place." The girl was talking in a sickeningly sweet voice. I was tempted to turn to look at Natsume to see how he was reacting, but I couldn't let my guard down.

The girl pulled out Natsume's cell phone from her pocket. "You know, you people are so easy to fool. No matter how 'experienced' you look, you're all the same. Stupid!"

"What do you want?" I asked, showing no emotion. Never give your fear away to the enemy.

"I want you out of my town." She said with a dark look. "Either that or dead. It doesn't really matter to me." Suddenly she raised her gun to us. "Actually, you know what? I don't feel like being _nice. _Life is wasted on fools like you anyway."

BANG! A shot fired and I ducked, but it wasn't coming from the girl. Tsubasa came running down the street, gun held steady in his hand and firing occasionally so he would scare her, but save his ammo. She turned and fired at Tsubasa who skillfully dodged the bullet.

The girl was suddenly pushed to the ground. "Luna, stop it. At least give them a chance in this town. The chase makes it all worth while…" I took a good long glance at the woman and had an epiphany. _Mom?_

_

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_Ok! There's chapter 5! Thank you for reading! I have been thinking, and I realize being asked to review is annoying, I know. I'm really sorry about that. It's just I don't know how to get people to review! I mean, I want to know my story is being read so I can continue it. If I don't have any readers, why bother writing it and posting it on here?  
So, please please PLEASE, review once in a while. I'm not going to set a number of how many reviews I need, but I want to get a few just letting me know this is worth writing. Sory again for being all annoying and stuff.  
Thanks for reading! Luv ya! :)


	7. Chapter 6

OMG I'M SO SOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG BREAK!!!!! I have been overwhelmed recently...so yeah I'm really sorry!

I want to dedicate this chaper to **jazziscool**, who helped me get back on track! That's the reason I sat down today and just typed! So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! YOU ARE SO AWSOMELY AMAZING!!!!!!

Ok so anywayyyy....here's the next chapter! :)  


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I realized I must have been showing shock on my face, and instantly hid it behind a blank face. _Calm down, Mikan. She won't recognize you. It's not like she every took time to really look at you as a child anyway. _I kept telling myself I was safe, and she wouldn't realize, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that completely.

Tsubasa stood still with his gun still pointing at the two. I could see him glancing over towards Natsume and I every few minutes. Idiot! If they see you staring at us…

"Oh look, he's trying to protect the little kiddies." Yuka said, with false sweetness.

"Don't you dare touch them," Tsubasa growled, with as much hatred and disgust he could have.

"Oh, puh-lease." Luna said, stressing out the please. She started walking slowly around Yuka, so she could look at Tsubasa. "We don't want them. As Yuka said, we want a chase." She smiled, but it looked distorted.

I found my eyes wondering back to my mother, and then I saw it. She was loading up her gun. She was going to shoot him, or shoot everyone for that matter.

"YOU BITCH!" I found myself screeching at her. I don't know where that came from; My voice seemed to be acting on it's own. "You're a manipulating, conniving bitch! You haven't changed one bit!"

She slowly turned towards me, with some interest in her eyes. "And you are…?" I didn't say anything. She walked over towards me and grabbed my face roughly, looking deep into my eyes. I glared at her.

She then backed up, gun still loaded and ready to shoot. "Oh yes, you do look familiar…_darling daughter."_

I growled. "You aren't my _mother._ You were never anything to me!" I ran towards her, powered my anger and rage. I wasn't thinking rationally, having only my fists against her gun. It took her a second to get the gun aimed at me, which gave me enough time to reach her and get within hitting range. I hit her hit up and somewhat sideways, which can cause some major whiplash if I'm lucky.

She fired at the same moment I hit her, which just grazed my cheek. I grabbed the arm that had the gun in it and twisted it behind her back. I then proceeded to thrust down on the elbow, which caused it to break. She gasped in pain. I grabbed the gun from her and aimed it at her, as she lay gasping on the ground.

Luna lunged at me, causing me to fall to the ground. At the moment she hit me, it caused me to accidentally fire the gun.

Luna gave my head a hard shove into the pavement. She hit me, I hit her. I shoved my knee into her stomach, giving me some slack. Suddenly, she went limp. I looked up to see Misaki standing above me. She must have hit Luna's pressure point…

I roughly shoved Luna off of me and stood up. Everyone was silent, and I saw why. I looked over to see my mother, sprawled out on the pavement, bleeding heavily out of the base of her throat. Oh, my God…

My hands involuntarily when to cup my mouth in shock. I even felt tears welling up in my eyes, which hasn't happened since I was left alone in that alley. I quickly willed them away; I wouldn't cry over someone I hated.

I had never killed someone. I never wanted to kill someone. This was a living nightmare. I felt numb inside.

"Let's go. There's nothing for us here." I said emotionlessly. I crept through the shadows back to the woods, which was a silent walk. We decided to sleep in the woods, where was it dense with trees and plenty of leaves on the ground.

"Uhh…let's get some sleep. We need to cover some serious ground tomorrow to get away from the…scene." Tono said awkwardly. Everyone silently.

Everyone was asleep, but I laid awake. When I didn't hear any irregular breathing, signaling that someone was awake, I got up and started walking around. There was a lake that we passed when we were walking to our sleeping spot, so I decided to go there, to clear my thoughts. _You killed someone. You killed your own mother. You're a bloody murderer. Murderer…killer… _Voices kept resounding in my head, and I tried to push them away. I sat down by the water and sighed.

Leaves crunched behind me and a spun around into a crouch allowing me to spring at the attacker as soon as they came into view. Sadly, I saw my chance to get my mind off things and just fight was blown when Natsume came into view. I sighed and got back into a sitting position.

"What's got you down?" He said, casually sitting down next to me. I continued to stare out towards the water.

"Nothing." I said passively.

"Liar."

"Well then what do you think has me down? I killed someone today. Better yet, I killed my own mother!" I said with a laugh, but it came out forced and somewhat said.

"So what?"

"What the fuck is your problem!?! I kill someone and all you can say is 'So what?' How can you not value a human life!?!" I yelled, but not too loud as to alert anyone and anything around us. Throughout my years, I had trained my body to respond naturally to situations and know my limits.

"Yeah. I mean it was an accident, so it's not your fault. Could have happened to anyone." He sounded wise beyond his years and looked fragile for a moment.

"But it didn't; it happened to me. I'm responsible for ending her life; Me. Not you, not anyone else."

"Well you can continue to beat yourself up, or you can accept it and forget."

"I can never forget what happened." I said bitterly.

He shrugged. "Well you could try to forgive yourself, at the least."

"Look, you don't understand what I'm going through! I'm a monster!"

"…I understand." He said quietly, but I could still hear him.

"No you don't! You never will! You aren't anything like me!" I was borderline hysterical.

Suddenly I was pulled towards him into a awkward hug. "Cry." He demanded.

"But I---"

"I said _cry._" And that was all I needed to break down my walls. I cried for the first time in ten years. I cried for everything I had hidden away…

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Was that deep? I feel like it was kinda emotional, but I don't know X] haha yeah I'm sorry it's not like, super long or anything. I always feel like my idea for a chapter is going to be so much longer than it really is, and then it's not. And like, when I'm planning it out, I know how I want it to end. So yes.

Anywayyy I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! I'm on Thanksgiving break right now, so I think I might be able to come up with another chapter before it's time to go back to school!

I also want to thank everyone for their support! It truly means a lot to me *eyes tear up* Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't cry...JK! I'm not crying. But I really am touch, and kinda wish I could cry, just to show how extremely happy I am. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!

Luv ya! :)


	8. Chapter 7

Finally! I wrote another chapter! After all the writer's block and projects, I have completed it! Ahh, it's nice to be sick at home and just be able to type X3 I'm sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!

I think you would be the coolest person ever if you listen to Monster by Skillet. And if you like it also listen to Hero by Skilet. They sorta tie into the storyline, and they're just awsome like that.

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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I cried for who knows how long, but I know I cried hard; And Natsume stayed with me the entire time. I didn't try to stop; I just let the tears flow until they ran out.

Finally, my sobs became soft hiccups. "Maybe I should make it a routine to cry every ten years…" I attempted to joke.

He gripped my shoulders and pushed me away to arms length. "Why do you have to act so strong? It's obvious it's just a façade."

"It's not an act! I'm strong because I have to be. Everything that's happened to me in my life has made me into who I am today. And _it's obvious_ that you just don't fit in with us. Why don't you just run home to your 'castle' where you belong?" I shoved his hands away and stood up.

He stood up as well. "Why can't youact like a human being!?!" He raised his voice.

"Shut up! You're going to wake everyone. Why cause any more trouble then you already have?"

"Don't avoid the question." He pressed.

"My life is none of your business, so stay out of it. You don't know me." I walked away back towards where we the group was sleeping. Hotaru was already awake and motioned me to sit by her. I quickly moved to where she was, which was as far away from Natsume as possible.

"So what happened?" She muttered under her breath. It was so soft you could barely tell her lips were moving.

"I'm not in the mood." I murmured back, hoping she would drop the subject. She did, but not the way I was expecting.

"Fine, don't tell me, your best friend. The one who's known you since we were six, but go ahead and talk to that Hyuuga boy. Better yet, cry on his shoulder for all I can. Thanks, Mikan."

"I wasn't-"

"Shut up. I can tell you were crying. You have tear stains, your eyes are slightly red, and it's the same look in your eyes that you had ten years ago. And I can see Hyuuga's shirt is wrinkled and is damp. Don't bother lying to me. Now when you can let me into your guarded life again, let me know." She had a fierce look in her eyes, as well as hurt and disappointment.

She got up to wake up the others, slightly nudging them, which brings them springing to their feet. That came in handy in case there was an emergency…

_We were hanging out in the woods. Every once in a while, we would go to the forest and just goof off, like we were normal kids on a playground. We had just gotten a new recruit, named Nobara. She was fourteen years old, just like me. She was quite fast and nimble, but slightly awkward in her proportions. Even though she was lanky, her long legs came in handy and she was light enough to easily lift herself onto ledges and such._

_We were all climbing trees and playing hide and seek. It might seem childish, but to us, it was timeless. This was the first time in about three months that we have enjoyed playing in the woods._

_After we finished the game, which Nobara won, much to my surprise, it was late. We decided that we would just spend the night in the woods. Since Nobara had only been with us a little less than two weeks, we all sat in a circle and got to know her a little better._

_I learned that her family was in the mob, and that she's wanted out for a while. Also, it turns out, did her mother. "It wasn't my choice to be born into this life," is how she phrased it. She had been sneaking out of the house since she was eight or nine._

"_My dad would come home late, most of the times drunk or high, and sometimes both. It drove my mom crazy. There was usually yelling, and sometimes crashes. I remember that my dad threw a clay mug a made at her head, and missed, thank God, and it broke slamming against the wall. I was screaming my head off at him, and he hit me for the first time. It was right on my temple, too. I had such a headache… _

"_Anyway he would also beat my mom. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore, and we decided to leave. I guess he thought we were going to the cops, 'cause he called the mob on us. You see, my mom isn't that fast, and saying she's not athletic is an understatement. I think her body was weak from getting hit so much too. So she made me promise, when we left, to keep myself safe and only me. When we were being chased down, she told me to run, so I did. I managed to hide and later get away, but she was shot."_

_We were all silent after that, but she told us she didn't want any sympathy, and that she was over it. She said she knew her mom was proud of her for listening and being able to move on with her life._

_In the middle of the night, Misaki nudged me awake. She heard footsteps, and I did too. They were running towards us. Nobara was slow to get up; she was just getting to her feet when the men came. We immediately started running, but Nobara was not with us._

_I heard gun shots, but there was no dying scream or any alert that she was shot. It guns quickly stopped firing. I like to think that she got away, but the odds are against me. And not everyone makes a scream when they die, they moan or grunt, and I would've been too far away to hear it; but it makes me feel better thinking that she's alive somewhere, living her life like her mother would have wanted her to…_

"I think it's time to move out. Look, it's almost sunrise." Hotaru said, all emotion gone from her voice, leaving no trace of the conversation we just had.

Tono threw us each a granola bar that was wrapped in paper towels to eat. We can't carry anything that would make noise, like how wrappers crinkle. We all walked swiftly through the woods, eating in silence. I stood next to Tsubasa, suddenly aware of how small I really was. _No, I'm not small, I'm not weak. I am strong. I am power. I am…I am a human…No! I am strong and nothing can hurt me. _I continued arguing with myself, and I kept hearing Natsume's voice. "_Why can't you act like a human being!?!" _Well, I have nothing to compare myself to, so I am who I am. I don't want to be that scared little girl I was.

"This tastes like shit…" Natsume muttered under his breath.

"Suck it up, or get out asshole. It's not like we're gaining anything of you being here." Hotaru said sharply.

"Ohh, Hotaru! Feisty! _Ow ow!" _Tsubasa joked.

There was more silence.

"So what's the plan?" Tsubasa asked Tono.

"The Hell I know. But I think we should get at least ten miles between us and the scene."

Misaki spoke next. "I think we should avoid hijacking another car. Can't be too repetitive. We should also get a map or something."

"Newspaper." Was Hotaru's simple answer.

"Hmm…all good ideas. I think we shouldn't plan on appearing in the next town, or if we do, do it in the middle of the night. Too close and we don't know if we were spotted."

"True. But we should at least try for a newspaper, gotta see what's goin' on in the world." Tsubasa said. We all nodded in agreement.

We walked for quite a while; almost until noon. We took a break to eat lunch. And, much to Natsume's joy, it was another granola bar. I walked over to Hotaru. "Can we talk?"

"Me?" I could hear thick, thick sarcasm.

"Yes. _Please."_ I was prepared to beg.

"No." She started walking away, so I grabbed her arm. She whipped around and slapped me, bringing all the conversations to silence. "No means _no._ Now leave me alone." She walked away, while I cradled my cheek. Nobody dared move.

"I'm sorry!" My voice sounded funny, but I wouldn't cry. Why am I getting so emotional? What's happening to me? I can't become soft.

She slowly turned, with dead eyes. "I don't care." She walked over to Tono and sat down, casually eating her granola bar.

After lunch, we continued walking; and saying it was awkward was an understatement. We found a town around eight o' clock or so. We camped near the edge of the town, waiting for late night.

Misaki volunteered to take the first watch, and suggested we all take naps, just to reenergize. My tired legs and worn-out soul weren't complaining.

I was woken up at three, and saw everyone already sitting up. I also couldn't help but notice Hotaru was as far away from me as possible.

"There's no use in us all going to get a newspaper, so…any volunteers?" Misaki asked us, looking around the circle.

"I'll go." I volunteered. I needed some time to myself anyway. Tono handed me fifty cents, just in case there wasn't one lying around on the street.

I walked through the streets, sighing to myself. I kept in the shadows on impulse, not because it was on my mind. I guess I was wondering for about ten minutes or so, where I found a newspaper lying on a bench. I hurried over to grab it, and started leafing through it. A certain article, or rather ad, stood out to me.

It was a picture of Natsume. And a 'Found' reward written below it. Great, now we're wanted kidnappers.

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Whew! I did it! *Pats myself on back and does a happy dance* You know it's been so long that I don't even know who reviewed last chapter :/ I IS SORRY! Next chapter I'l be sure to thank all my reviewers X3 Becuase I love you all! 3

Umm...I will try to update soon, but I have learned that I don't trust what I say about posting a new chapter -.-' Maybe I'll start typing the next chapter today while I'm home sick...? Or take a nap X] Who knows?

Reviews are appreciated, 'cause, you know, YOUR MUM....okay nevermind that's just lamee! X] But I do love reviews. They make me special ;)

Luv ya! :)


	9. Chapter 8

Ughh...stupid..writer's...block...RAWRR! *throws my brain out the window* If anyone has a new brain, let me know :)

Anyway here is a late chapter update that I should be hated for :P Enjoy! Lol.

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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I looked closely at the picture; it wasn't an especially good one, but if he was seen in public, the connection could still be made. The picture itself looked a year or two years old, and it looks like his hair was sleeked back, which made him look like he had a huge forehead, and with the pissed off expression on his face, I couldn't help but giggle.

I then looked at the description of him, along with the reward.

Age: 17

Hair color: Black

Distinguishing feature: Red Eyes

Date Gone Missing: November 27 (His Birthday)

Reward: $5000

I stared at the ad, thinking of what we could do. Is there a party store in this town? It would be easy to get him a wig if there is… As for his eyes, maybe colored contacts? Ugh, but where would we get those? That would cost a lot, and would be risky. Could you even get contacts without something wrong with your eyes? Hold up…he was gone before is birthday… Oh what an idiot! Birthdays mean attention, which means _of course_ someone would notice him gone! He's so troublesome…

Holy shit! A $5000 reward!?! That's insane! I could only imagine what we could do with all that money…

I ran silently back to the group, knowing that looking at this ad caused a delay, and they would be wondering where I was.

When I got back, I chucked the paper at Tono's head. "We have trouble, and guess who's to blame?" I said sarcastically.

The group turned to Natsume, who stared passively back at everyone. Tono scanned the newspaper, and found the ad. "Fuck…"

"What is it, man?" Tsubasa asked. Slowly the newspaper made its way around the circle, and reached Natsume last. He looked it over as well.

"Tch. Figures they choose my _eighteenth _birthday to pay attention to me. They can't even put my correct age in the paper."

"That's all you can say? 'They can't put my correct age in the paper'? This is more trouble than it's worth, and again it's your fault!"

"I wasn't the one who committed murder." I couldn't reply after that, I just froze. Guilt flooded over me, and I silently sat down, withdrawing from the convocation.

"Aw, whatever guys. We can fix this." Misaki said, trying to optimistic.

"How?" Tono asked.

"Um…" Misaki was at a loose for words.

"People don't need to see me, you know. It seems you guys only operate at night anyway, when no one's around." The group silently considered this.

"Yeah, that's true, but we do go out in public at times. I'd say we leave you alone, but last time, you got us in deep trouble." Tono answered, trying to stay neutral to the situation.

"Whatever." Natsume pulled out his phone and started texting. "Where can I charge this?"

"Can you pay attention to the trouble we're in!?! Maybe you won't get in that much trouble for disappearing, but we could go to _jail. _Try to care about someone other than you_rself." _I said angrily.

"Where are we?" He sighed.

"It's…umm…" How could I forget to look to see where we were? I need to stay on my game, now more than ever.

"Ortyn." Hotaru supplied the answer.

Natsume gathered himself up and said, "Follow me." No one got up.

"Why?" Misaki asked.

"Fine, don't come with me. I'm fine going by myself." He continued walking away. We all looked around at each other and quickly caught up with him, out supplies in hand.

We continued walking until we ended up at a mansion, where Natsume casually knocked on the door. We quickly pulled him into the bushes. "What the Hell are you doing?" Tono asked. Before Natsume could answer, we were silenced when the door opened. A blonde boy answered the door.

"Hello?" He looked around a little, uneasily.

"Ruka." Natsume said. I clamped my hand over his mouth, but this 'Ruka' could tell where we were hiding. He can over to us, pushing the branches away.

"Natsume?"

"Yeah." He got out of the bushes and brushed himself off. "Let us in."

"Uh…yeah, sure." He stepped aside awkwardly and motioned for us to come inside. We slowly got out of the bushes and made our way in cautiously. "Do you guys want anything to eat? Or do you want to…shower?"

"We know we smell and look like shit, don't bother with your polite crap." Hotaru said, already raiding the pantry.

"Who's home?" I asked.

"It's only me. My parents are away until the end of the month." I relaxed a little, but I refused to let my guard down. "Where's the shower?"

"Let me show you."

"No, I can do it." Natsume said. "Show these guys around.

Natsume and I started walking down the hall. "Are you sure you want to be alone with a _murderer." _I sneered at him.

"…Sorry. I thought you were going to kick me out, and it was the first thing that popped into my head, okay?"

"That doesn't make it right."

"I know. But I'm trying to fix it." We walked the rest of the way in silence. When we reached the bathroom, I was in awe. There was a shower and a bathtub! Separate from each other! It was sparkling white, and everything seemed like it was straight out of a magazine. I dropped my backpack and quickly got into the shower. I must have been in there for an hour, but I didn't care. I washed myself about two times, and my hair three. I can't remember the last time I felt to clean. I sunk to the floor of the shower and just let the water pelt me. I felt so at ease.

I finally got out and put on my clean clothes that I got out of my backpack. I started to look through the cabinets for things I could take and/or use (mostly take). I got some little bars of soap and one of those cheap combs that you can buy for $.50 at any convenience store. I ran the comb through my hair and then shoved it in my bag.

When I walked downstairs, I saw everyone in new clothes and wet hair. "Took you long enough. Funny how you have the least to clean, and it takes you the longest." Tsubasa teased.

"Shut up! If I was bigger I would sit on you and you would suffocate." I scoffed.

"Ha, relax guys. Yo, Mikan, I think we're pretty good on everything for a while." Tono said, grabbing my attention.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the search for Natsume isn't going to last long." I looked at Tono confused.

"Uh, yeah." I turned my attention to Ruka. "Aoi, you know, Natsume's sister?" I nodded. "Well, she called, asked if I've seen him, and said to let her know. But the police are barely involved, it seems."

"Well what would Aoi know? She's what, eight?"

"She's ten, baka." Natsume interrupted.

"I don't care." I glared.

_"Anyway,_" Ruka started, trying to get our attention back. "I think you guyscould stay here for a few days maybe? And I could drive you guys to a town a little ways away, if that's…okay?" He trailed off at the end.

"I don't know. That's risky. Guys, we never stay in one place very long, let alone a place like this." The group looked around, not saying anything. "…Guys?"

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OH A CLIFFHANGER! And I want your suggestions, if possible :) Should they stay, bring Ruka into the story, maybe keep him...? Or stay but let him go after they leave? Just ditch this joint all together and do whatever? I want your help! I have ideas of where it could go, but I don't know what path to take for it! So leave it in a review, PM me, Twitter me, whatever.

And yes, I know this is not my best chapter. I sick and trying to get over this writer's block that I've had for ages, so I'm really sorry T.T I promise it will get better, I just had to get past this rough spot for me.

Oh did I mention I got a Twitter? The joys of finding ways to entertain yourself when you're sick X]

Review? Make my day? ;)

Luv ya! :) Mmkaybyee.


	10. Chapter 9

Hello hello! I want to thank my lone reviewer, **GreenEyedMoster101, **who took the time to review. And it made my day! :) So thank you!

Whoa! I finished this fast!And its long!(for me anyway) I hope this makes up for the filler last chapter!

I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE!

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"Guys, come on, be serious. You can't honestly think it's a good idea to stay here, do you?" I looked around, trying to see if _anyone _agreed with me.

"Mikan…face it. This is as safe as it's gonna get. And I mean, look we'll have beds. _Beds! _For once in our life." Tsubasa tried to reason with me. What a joke.

"So you'll risk our safety for a good night's sleep?"

"Mikan! We're safe, okay? We'll just be here for a week or so. And it's only like the middle of the month, so his 'rents won't be coming home anytime soon."

"But what if they do? What is something happens and they need to come home? What do we do then, huh? Get caught and get arrested? I'd much rather stay out of jail, but I don't know about you."

Ruka then started. "Umm…they won't come home. They never come home ahead of schedule."

_"But what if they do?"_ I growled. He did a big gulp and backed down, causing me to smirk.

"Hun, we all think its okay to stay. So you're outvoted. Face it, you can't win." Misaki told me, trying to finalize things.

"Since when was our lifestyle a competition?" I stomped away, going back to the only room I knew, the bathroom. I just say in there, thinking. I checked my cell phone to see the time, but it was dead. I took my charger out of my bag and plugged it in. I grabbed the towel and curled it up into a pillow, and then got in the bathtub to lie down. I quickly found myself falling asleep.

I woke up with a horrible kink in my neck and sore all over, no doubt to the hard bathtub and the sharp angle my neck was on. I threw my tangled hair is a messy ponytail and walked downstairs, rubbing my groggy eyes. I looked around, seeing the gang eating eggs and toast. The gang also was wearing pajama pants, as well as t-shirts (although for the girls it drowned them). "What the Hell is this?" I asked.

"Breakfast. Want some?" Tono asked.

"What are you wearing?"

"Pajamas, duh."

"And just where did you get them?"

"Well me and Tsubasa got these from Ruka's dad's stash, and Natsume is wearing one of Ruka's. Same with the girls."

"Stop getting comfortable, we need to leave soon."

"We've only been here a day!" Misaki said, exasperatedly.

_"I know."_

"Chill out. We're fine. Here, eat some toast." She threw a piece at me, which I dodged, and it landed with a small thud on the floor. I groaned, and stomped away wondering how they don't get my point of view.

On my retreat back to the bathroom, my stomach growled. I slunk back to the kitchen and grabbed a handful of toast, which caused everyone to chuckle. "Shut up," I grumbled. I then walked back to the bathroom, losing the dramatic effect I had the first time. I ate my toast in silence, all alone. It's been about three hours, and I was extremely bored. There's only so much you can do in a bathroom (a.k.a nothing).

I went downstairs to see everyone in their clothes and actually looking presentable for once. While in the bathroom for those slow three hours, I tried to make myself look better, combing my hair and such.

"Hey, Mikan!" Tsubasa said, cheerily.

"Hi…Why so happy?" I was uneasy.

"We're going shopping!" Misaki exclaimed.

_"What!?!" _How can they go shopping? How can they be so okay with showing themselves during the day?

"Yeah, want to come with?"

"NO! What is wrong with you guys? Why are you acting so…relaxed and laid back about all of this? It's not you! This isn't us! Remember who you are!"

"And what are we, Mikan? Dirty street kids with no hope for any other lifestyle? Destined to grow up to be burglars and pickpockets?" Tono asked me, daring me to say yes.

"No—But—"

"Then what? What could it possibly be?"

"You guys are changing! We have to go back to how we are, and you guys are trying to run away from that!"

"No, we just want to see what it's like to live a normal life. And you're the one who's changed. Sometimes I can't recognize you." I just gaped at him, lost for words. They walked out the door, and left in Ruka's car. As soon as they were out of the driveway, I screamed. I let out my anger in one, high-pitched sound.

Natsume came downstairs when I did that. I forgot he was here. "What the fuck was that?"

"Nuthin'. Why are you still here?"

"The police are looking for me, remember? I can't go out."

"Right, I knew that."

"Sure you did. So why are you so mad?" He asked, changing to subject to something I didn't feel like talking about.

"I'm not mad."

"Yes you are."

"Well even I am, I'm not telling."

"What is so wrong with staying here for a little while?"

"Because it is."

"You think it's dangerous. Why?"

"_Because it is!"_

"No it's not!"

"Like you would know! You only got into this like a week ago!"

"Tell me how it's dangerous. I'll prove to you we're safe."

"The police are after us, so we can't risk getting spotted."

"The police are after me, and I'm staying hidden." He countered me, but I kept it going.

"Someone could recognize us and we could get sent to jail, or a foster home."

"They don't have your face on a picture or anything, and if you don't look like street kids, your fine."

"But we do look like street kids!"

"Not today. You guys are clean and have on clean clothes. To me you just look like Goth kids."

Come on Mikan, come up with another reason… "This isn't our lifestyle and if we adapt to this, how are we going to change back?"

"We'll be here for less than a week, I think you'll be fine."

"…I'll lose my only friends."

"No, you won't. They care about you, and it's going to take a lot more than a little argument to change that. Face it, they're your family, and you can't get rid of your family, no matter how hard you try." He smirked, and I let out a half-smile.

"Thanks."

"Now are you okay with staying here?"

"No, but I can deal with it, I think."

"Good." The rest of the time the gang was shopping, Natsume and I watched the television. You would not believe how many channels there are! I kept getting distracted by looking out the window, trying to see if they were back yet. When they finally came back, around dinner time, I sprung off the sofa and practically tackled them at the door.

"What took you so long!?!" I exclaimed.

"Chill. We were just getting out for a little." Tsubasa said, being the first one in the door.

"A little while? You were gone for hours!"

"Well, we needed it. And it looks like you need it, too."

"I do not!" I said quickly, still not completely okay with the idea of this.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. Oh, hey, we got you something! He gave me a bag that I went through quickly. Inside the bag were black t-shirts that would actually fit me, and some black sweats and skinnies that were also my size.

"Oh my God! This is great! Thank you guys!" I gave each of them (minus Ruka) a hug.

"Told you she would like it." Misaki said, nudging Tsubasa in the ribs.

That evening we all ate together. Ruka cooked for us, which was really nice, but really weird. We weren't used to people waiting on us.

"Enjoy the food." Ruka said with a smile. I nodded slightly and started to put food on my plate. "So, I was thinking, since Mikan didn't go out today, we could all go out to eat tomorrow."

"All?" I asked, thinking immediately of Natsume with us and with him getting caught, getting us arrested.

"Yeah. We could get Natsume a wig or something. I mean, there's that store, Party Hardy, right down the street, so we can just pick it up and tadah, no more Natsume."

"What about his eyes? They're a dead giveaway."

"Umm…well I could order some colored contacts tonight and pick them up tomorrow. It wouldn't be that weird, since I actually wear contacts already."

"I…don't know…" I was just getting used to the idea of staying here.

"Just think about, please." I rolled my eyes. He didn't have to act so polite. Freakin' rich pansy… After we finished eating, Ruka showed me to my room.

"I can't remember the last time I had one of these…" I said, mostly to myself.

"A room?"

"No, a bed…" He stood awkwardly for a minute, before speaking again.

"Umm…well the bathroom is right off to the…uh…right, and it should have spares of everything of you need it. Just make yourself at home."

"This is a house, not a home." I said, stonily.

"Will you shut up? I get you don't like being here, but you're just going to have to deal with it! This might be one of the few chances I get to see my best friend of a while, and I want to make it last." I was taken aback by his sudden outburst, and just stood there staring at him. "I…uh…sorry. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have spoken like that. Umm…Good night." He quickly dashed out of the room, and I plopped myself down on the bed. I can't even remember falling asleep.

The next morning we sat around the table again for breakfast that Ruka made. We kept making awkward eye contact. It was delicious, and it felt so good to feel full. Nothing really happened, but it was nice to feel like nothing happened, instead of all this drama.

In the afternoon I went downstairs to find everyone in...Colors. _"What_ are you wearing?"

"Clothes. Now put these on so we can go." Misaki threw a pair of light, faded skinny jeans and a light pink tank top. Ew.

"Hell no."

"Come on, we're going to lunch. Now put it on!"

"Going out? No way." They didn't respond because a brunette with green eyes just walked out of the bathroom. I gaped at him. "Natsume?"

"Yeah." He grumbled. I walked over and started pulling at his hair.

"It looks so real!"

"That's because it is, now get off!"

I stepped back appalled. "You dyed you hair?"

"No. it's come-in color. It washes out." I let out a relieve sigh. He could never pull of being a brunette.

"Well, I must say, it's pretty convince. Only people who know you and got up close would recognize you."

I saw Ruka beam out of the corner of my eye. "Great! So you'll come with us, then?" He asked hopefully.

"I…guess it wouldn't hurt." Everyone seemed to relax and smile a bit. I went to put on the new clothes, and I must say I looked pretty good, but really different. It felt really weird to have clothes that actually fit me snuggly.

I walked out of the bathroom and everyone looked at me. Tsubasa wolfed whistled. "Damn, Mikan! Who knew you actually had a body. You look hot!" Everyone laughed, including me.

We went to a little pizza place that was probably family owned, since the people were really nice and it didn't have that business feel to it. I tried to relax, I really did, but I just couldn't help but feel uneasy. I know they got annoyed with me from continuing to look around every five minutes. I know I sound stupid, but there were these guys in the corner, and I just couldn't help but think they were watching us. Then again, I thought our waiter was suspicious too, for coming back so often to "see how we were doing."

We went walking around the shops for a little just to get out and enjoy the nice weather. I admit, it did feel nice to get some sun for once. "Hell, girl, you cute." Some teen ganger-wannabe on the street said to me as we were walking by.

"Fuck off." I gave them the finger. Him and his buddies burst out laughing. Drunken idiots. It really tells you something where you see someone drunk _before _it's dark.

On the ride home, everyone immediately started talking about when we could go out to eat again, and were thinking about doing so for breakfast tomorrow.

"Umm…didn't we, like, just go out tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, but it's fun! I mean, it's fun right?" Tono said excitedly.

"Uh…" I didn't say what I was really thinking, which was no. I listened to them chatter about what restraints they could go to and what things they could do around town, while I just sat in silence, disgusted with the thought of being so carefree about everything, but the truth was, I was envious that they could have such joy that I just couldn't find.

When we got back, I went to put on some sweatpants, but kept the tank top on. I went back downstairs again and we all watched a movie. It felt like a real family moment, fighting over a movie and finally picking something _no one _wants to see, but we were all just too tired of fighting to care what we watched.

When we all went up to bed, I stayed awake thinking. I wondered about this life we were living, how everything has changed, and how I have changed. I kept glancing at the clock, and when it was finally 1:00 AM, I got up. I took of the pink tank top and put on one of my new fitted ,black tees. I walked over to the window and opened it the rest of the way (I opened it a little before as to make as little noise as possible when I left). I jumped out the window and onto the terrace that was right below the window. I then lowered myself to grab onto it, let my legs off, and then let go. It was only about a six foot drop, where I successfully landed silently.

I immediately started running down the street and out of sight. I stopped for a second, just to catch my breath, and said quietly, "Sorry, guys. That isn't the life for me." And continued to run.

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OMG! Mikan left the group? :O Only I know what will happen next, so you guys have to keep reading ;) What now, suckkaas! Ahh, it feels great to have a good, long chapter. I am proud of this.

I would like to say, I really would appriciate reviews. They make me realize what I am writing for. I don't want to say I will quit writing, becuase I don't want to punish my readers who do review and stuff, but I seriously lack inpsiration when I don't get review to know that guys like what I'm doing. So please, just take the extra minute to write me a quick review. I promise It'll give me the motivation I need to update weekly and stuff. So yeah, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!

Thanks for listening to my rant. You guys are the best!

Luv ya! :) Mmkaybyee.


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